Family Night Blog!

Do you have any sixes? ~!!Go fish!!~ My name is Veronica Herquet. I grew up having game nights every Friday with my family, and what fun we had! We used to play all the old standbys-- Battlefish, Monopoly, Gin Rummy, and all that business! Game nights teach very valuable lessons about math, english, and other curricular subjects, as well as important social skills. When I was in 3rd grade I cursed in front of my parents for the first time during a game of Go Fish. I hadn't realized what trouble I was going to get into! The game ended immediately and I got a good talking-to about what I'd said. This experience taught me an important lesson in how to modify my behavior based on the people I was around in order to facilitate a positive social experience for all. This is the kind of lesson we ought to be teaching our kids! This website exists so I can spread the joy and the power of the family game night to one and all. I hope you can get as much out of them as I did.

Monthly Archives August 2014

According to Rutgers University, research shows that that presents we pick to convey special messages say a lot about us. It is likely because of this that people have traditionally used flowers to express a wide array of feelings and ideas. For example, in Russia, red tulips were often used to declare romantic love. Likewise, different colors of carnations were used to symbolize different levels of affection: red symbolized deep love, white represented pure love, and yellow depicted dejection. With this historical signification, it is no surprise that modern studies indicate that people who send flowers instead of other gifts, are viewed as successful, caring and emotionally intelligent.

Given the popularity of flowers as gifts and decorations, the modern florist industry is a popular one: there are

Green custom homes are designed to have better energy efficiency and indoor air quality. They also conserve water and reduce pollution.

Modern green homes may be built smaller to use fewer materials. Building green homes also saves maintenance and utility costs since there’s less space to heat and keep in repair. Standard sizes of lumber can be used to reduce waste left over after a construction project.

Homeowners can also request that their builders use eco-friendly materials when building green homes. Building materials from regiona

Almost everyone knows that donating clothing to charity organizations means keeping fabrics out of the world’s landfills. Clothing is one of the easiest materials to recycle: an estimated 99% of the textiles in United States landfills could be salvaged. Yet old clothing accounts for 5% of all waste in landfills, and the average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing per year.

However, giving used clothing donations to charity can offset the negative environmental impact of the clothing waste that piles up year after year. Not only do

If you feel like you’re always losing your TV remote every time you turn around — you’re not alone. In fact, research shows that an estimated 49% of all television remote controls are eaten by couch cushions. And although, thankfully, many of these victims are eventually found, it doesn’t hide the fact that their temporary loss causes quite a bit of frustration for their humans. Research has actually shown that the average TV watcher will spend, over one lifetime, about two weeks looking for lost TV remote controls. That’s right — two weeks.

What hasn’t been studied is the amount of time that the average TV watcher

Have you been searching through multiple real estate listings to find a new home? If so, you’re not alone. Buying a house is a long process, and it can be costly, too, when you add up the amounts you’ll spend on a down payment, closing costs, taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and more. However, in the end it’s all worth it, and if you follow the right tips for buying a home, you have the chance to end up in your dream home.

However, there are many steps to follow before you consider this substantial purchase. If you’re new to buying a home and you’d like more advice, here are some tips on buying a home that anyone can follow:

1. Hire a real estate agent. This is usually the first step to buying a home. A real estate agent will work in your interest, not the interest of the

Zachariah Fike, a captain in the Vermont National Guard began his quest to return lost and stolen Purple Heart medals when he was given one as a gift. Since then, Fike has returned over 100 stolen or lost Purple Heart medals to the families and relatives of the original recipients. The majority of recipients were awarded this prestigious medal after being killed in combat.

The military order of the Purple Heart resonates with Fike. In 2012, he created Purple Hearts Reunited, and since that time has accumulated another 300 Purple Heart medals to deliver to families. Unfortunately, the fallen service members’ medals and other belongings are often lost in estate sales, found packed away in basements and attics, or sometimes found in pawn, thrift, or antique stores if stolen. The med

You’ve probably already heard quite a bit about San Antonio, even if you don’t live in the area, because it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the country. In fact, it made the list of top 10 fastest growing cities in America during 2009-2010, and despite the housing lag due to the recent recession, more people are moving to San Antonio every year. So what makes San Antonio such a popular place to live?

$178,000: The median price of a house in San Antonio during the summer of 2013. Real estate market trends in the area have been looking pretty strong in the past couple of years, and more people are looking for homes in the area because these properties are so affordable for the average American family.

It’s that time of year again. The lazy days of summer are becoming shorter, cooler, and are slowly dwindling down as children await the first day of school. Families across the nation are gearing up for this big day, and are also taking a moment to show their support for military families by helping them get ready for back to school too.

There are a number of both local and national organizations that help military families. Helping military families is a cause that many Americans feel strongly about, and they are eager to show their gratitude and appreciation.

According to statistics, it’s estimated that nearly 27% of military families in the United States have over $10,000 in credit card debt. As such, helping military families with every day expenses, such back to school supp

We spend a significant portion of each of our days sleeping, and our sleep is crucial to our lives in so many ways. With that being said, where and how we sleep has a serious impact on our sleep, and therefore our overall well-being.

Although sleep is an experience everybody can share, so many people do not necessarily enjoy the process of sleep, and may often feel negative effects of troubled sleep when they are awake. The American Sleep Foundation has found that a majority of Americans have problems getting a refreshing night of sleep. This can be due to a number of psychological and/or physical issues. Sleep in general tends to be uncomfortable for many people, leading them to often change positions during a sleep cycle. In fact, around 15% of Americans have reported chronic pain from sleeping in the wrong

Getting a good nights sleep is an essential component to maintaining the energy you need to accomplish all of the tasks in your busy day. Without a strong, healthy nights sleep, you lack the ability to focus on the important responsibilities both at work and at home. There are lots of ways to improve the quality of your sleep, such as developing healthy sleeping rituals, going to bed at the same time every night, and sleeping on a high quality mattress.

Your mattress is primarily responsible for keeping you comfortable all throughout the night. The make and model of your mattress is also responsible for the appropriate sleeping conditions that afford you that essential deep sleep every night. Sleeping on a flat spring mattress has been shown over and over to be bad for your posture while you sleep,